Spencer Reid: Babysitter Extraordinaire
by evgrrl09
Summary: On their ninth anniversary, the Morgans ask Reid to babysit their three children for them...how will the evening go?


**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**So this is a new idea that I couldn't resist writing. Hope you all enjoy!**

"Mommy, why do you and Daddy have to go out _tonight_?"

Penelope looked up from searching in her closet for a pair of high heels at her six year old daughter, Sadie who was standing with her hands on her hips and a frown on her little face. Pulling out a pair of bright red pumps, she stood up and kissed her daughter's forehead and ruffled her soft black hair.

"Because tonight is Mommy and Daddy's anniversary, Sade," she said, pushing her foot into one of her shoes. She laughed at her daughter's perplexed expression and she adjusted the neckline of her dress some. "We'll be home before you know it, sweetie."

Sadie stuck out her tongue. "But why did you have to get Uncle Spencer to babysit?" she asked, sticking her tongue out in the process.

Smirking and putting in a ruby red earring, Penelope asked, "Why don't you like Uncle Spencer coming over to babysit? I thought you love your Uncle Spencer."

Sitting on the edge of her parents' bed, Sadie let her little legs swing back and forth. "I do love Uncle Spencer," she said. "But I don't like that it's just me with all these boys. I mean, Liam and Theo always make fun of me." She stuck her lower lip out to pout. "Uncle Spencer doesn't understand why it makes me upset."

Penelope almost laughed out loud. It was true that Reid probably didn't understand how to comfort Sadie when her older brothers decided to pick on her. "What if I tell Uncle Spencer that he needs to be _extra_ careful and tell your brothers that Daddy will be having a _long_ talk with them?" She knelt down in front of her daughter and kissed her cheek. Imitating Sadie's face, she kissed her cheek and said, "How does that sound?"

Sadie smiled shyly and nodded. "Okay, Mommy," she said.

Hugging her, Penelope kissed the side of her head. "Good," she said. As she was rising to her feet, Derek entered their room with a smile lighting up his face. She looked at her husband, clad in black dress pants and a gray button down shirt. "Speak of the devil, here's Daddy now."

Sadie looked up at her father and grinned brightly. "Daddy!" She ran to throw her arms around his legs, but he picked her up instead. "Hi!"

Kissing her cheek, Derek smiled and said, "Hey, Princess. You helping your mama get ready?"

Sadie nodded vigorously and wrapped her arms around Derek's neck. "And she looks _so_ pretty, right?"

"Extremely," he agreed, setting her back down on her feet. He moved to Penelope and wrapped her in his arms, kissing her in the process. "Reid's here to watch these little monsters."

"I'm not a monster, Daddy," Sadie said indignantly. "Just Liam and Theo are monsters."

"Oh!" he laughed. "Well, come say hi to your Uncle Spencer."

Penelope and Derek led Sadie down the stairs and into the living room where their ten year old son, Liam and seven year old son, Theo were already wrestling with Reid on the floor. By the looks of it, the little boys were winning. Liam, who was already a mirror image of his father, had Reid in a headlock while his younger brother had his legs wrapped in his small arms. Both of them were laughing hysterically and tickling Reid. "Boys, give your Uncle Spencer a little breathing room," Penelope scolded with fake sternness. She smirked at Reid as he sat up with the boys still clinging to him.

"Hey, Boy Wonder," Penelope said softly, dragging Theo off of Reid's legs. She kissed the top of his head and added, "You sure you're up for watching these demons tonight?"

Nodding, Reid said, "Yes, it's your ninth anniversary. You two go have fun!"

"Thanks man," Derek said, grinning as Sadie went to hug Reid. Kneeling down, he opened his arms and all three of his children rushed into his arms. "You three be good for your Uncle Spencer, okay? No shenanigans."

"No shenanigans…got it," Theo said, giving a thumbs up to his father.

"We'll be good," Liam added.

When the two of them were finally out in the driveway and getting into the car, Penelope looked inside the window at her three children, all of them playing and running around Reid. She sighed and for some reason had to choke back tears. Derek put a hand on her shoulder and gently massaged it. He kissed her cheek and murmured in her ear, "Baby, they'll be okay. Reid will keep an eye on them."

Sniffling, she said, "I know, Handsome. I just don't know how I feel about being away from them for the night. Even if it is for a snazzy hotel."

He laughed and pulled her into a kiss. "Believe me, Baby Girl," he said. "This is going to be so worth it."

XXXXX

"Girls have cooties!" Theo yelled, putting on his father's leather jacket that swallowed him whole. He also had on Derek's sunglasses and was running around the living room in a circle around Sadie. Her eyes were filled with tears and she had her arms crossed over her chest. Reid was cooking in the kitchen with Liam, leaving Sadie and Theo in the living room.

"Stop it, Theo!" she cried. "You're being mean!"

Reid came into the living room and said, "Dinner's read –" He paused when he saw Sadie's teary face. "Sadie, what's wrong?"

Wiping her face, she mumbled, "Nothing."

"Theo, go help your brother set the table," Reid said, motioning for him to go to the kitchen. "Sadie, why don't you and I have a little chat?" He smiled and awkwardly put a hand on her shoulder. Leading her over to the couch, the two of them sat down and Sadie leaned back against the cushions, not meeting his eyes. Quite frankly, Reid didn't know how to deal with the little girl. Most of the time she was bright and friendly, just like her mother, but at other times, like now, she was like her father: not wanting to show weakness.

"Theo told me I have cooties," she whispered.

Reid patted her shoulder and said, "Now, Sadie, you do know that cooties are make believe right? Plus, your brother is older than you and he feels it's his…job to say things like that. But he doesn't really mean to hurt your feelings."

"But Uncle Spencer, it hurts my feelings for him to be mean like that," she said softly, almost inaudibly. "I feel like he means to be mean all the time. Both him and Liam. I really wish that I had a sister who I could play with. But Mommy said she wasn't going to have more kids because she loves me and the boys too much and that she doesn't need another baby."

Reid smiled. "Sadie, I want to tell you a secret," he said. "But you have to promise not to tell your brothers."

"Okay…" she said hesitantly. Despite her reluctance though, she seemed interested in what Reid had to say.

"You, Ms. Sadie Morgan, have super powers," he said mysteriously. "And do you know what your super power is?"

"What?" she asked, leaning forward.

He smiled. "You are stronger than they are," he said.

She frowned in confusion. "No," she said in confusion. "They're bigger than me. Liam plays football. He can even sometimes tackle Daddy."

Reid shook his head. "That's not what I'm talking about. What I mean is that you can handle any mean thing that someone throws your way. You have a thick skin. You can take it. And no, you don't have cooties." He smiled wider and pulled a quarter from behind her ear "magically." She grinned brightly and looked at it with even more interest. "And you see this? Your brothers don't have magic anymore. So I can't do this with them. But with you, you're a girl, so it'll work with you forever."

"Forever and ever?"

He nodded. "Yes. Now, you ready to go and eat some mac'n'cheese?"

Sadie nodded and wrapped her arms around Reid's waist. "Okay. You're the best, Uncle Spencer."

At the moment, Reid felt like it was true.

XXXXX

At midnight when Derek and Penelope rolled back into their driveway and got out of the car after their romp in a honeymoon suite, they noticed that the lights were still on. Derek put his arm around his wife's waist and kissed her temple. She sighed tiredly and pushed some of her rumpled curls out of the way. "I missed our little monsters," she murmured. "I can't imagine spending much time away from them. At least not until they're older."

He grinned and unlocked the door to their house. When they made it to the living room, Reid was sitting on the couch, reading a giant book with Sadie asleep next to him, curled up in a Disney Princess blanket. On the other side of him was Theo under a plain blue comforter. Liam was asleep on one of the armchairs. Looking up from his book, Reid gave a small wave and grinned.

"Sleep over time?" Penelope asked with a laugh, going to kiss all her children's foreheads.

"They were all getting along so well after dinner that I just let them all stay in here with me," he said sheepishly.

Derek grinned and shook Reid's hand as he stood up. "Thanks man for watching them."

"Eh, no problem," he said. Looking at his watch, he added, "I've got to get going. I've got a class I'm helping with in the morning. Did you know that having eight hours of sleep is –"

Penelope shook her head. "Nerd Boy, not right now," she laughed. "We love you, but not enough for facts after our _long_ night." She wiggled her eyebrows at him and Reid snapped his book shut and headed to the door.

"Good evening folks," he said hastily.

Penelope giggled and watched as Reid headed out the door. Sitting on the couch, she pulled Sadie onto her lap and stroked her curly black hair. She looked up at Derek and said, "Wanna sleep here tonight, Baby Boy?"

Pulling Liam out of his seat and setting him on the floor wrapped in his blanket, he put his head on a pillow and lay down next to his son. He looked up at his wife and smiled widely. "You gonna get the lights?" he asked.

Rising, she hit the lights and returned to the couch. "Mommy?" Sadie yawned as Penelope sat back down next to her younger two children. "You're home?"

Kissing her daughter's head, she whispered, "Yeah, sweetie. We're home. Go back to sleep."

"Mommy?" she said. "Uncle Spencer is the best babysitter ever."

Derek and Penelope shared a small laugh at that and fell asleep with their children, all f them in the family room.

XXXXX

When Reid got back to his apartment that night, he couldn't stop thinking about how well babysitting for Morgan and Garcia had gone. After his chat with Sadie, the little girl had warmed up to him immediately. She insisted on sitting next to him at the dinner table, she wanted to sit next to him while they watched cartoons in the evening, and she let him share her bowl of ice cream for dessert. He was pleased that things had gone so well.

In some strange way Sadie reminded him of himself at that age. She was extremely attached to her mother, she liked to read more than play sports, and she asked all sorts of questions. He couldn't wait until she was old enough to read _War and Peace_; they'd have all sorts of intriguing conversations then.

Lying in bed that evening before he went to sleep, he thought he was seriously going to ask the Morgans if he could babysit again. Though he wasn't entirely experienced with children, he liked them and his godson Henry enough to make an exception.


End file.
